Tag: Sozou

Three years after it was first announced, chef Fuyuhiko Ito’s long-awaited Sozou has arrived in Midtown. The restaurant is the third concept in the building from culinary director Fuyuhiko Ito and his wife, executive pastry chef Lisa Ito.

As we look ahead, 2026 is shaping up to be the year of the casual comeback—a shift toward breezy, daylight-friendly dining that feels both intentional and effortless. Many of the incoming restaurants lean into breakfast and lunch, with chefs channeling creativity into pastries, produce-driven plates, and upgraded daytime comfort classics.

Chef Fuyuhiko Ito has worked in kitchens around the world, studying French and American culinary techniques, as well as his native Japanese. But he’s most known for his delicate, high-end sushi, as evidenced by his previous work as executive chef of Umi. Now he’s opening not one but three restaurants in Midtown: a 16-seat omakase spot called Ishin by Ito, a rooftop cocktail lounge named Celestia, and a modern Japanese eatery dubbed Sozou.

From instant neighborhood favorites to trending hotspots, Atlanta’s restaurant scene is constantly evolving; 2025 will be no different.

Each new year in Atlanta brings with it the promise of new places to eat, drink, and, for 2024 in particular, play, thanks to new concepts from Justin Amick and William Stallworth (Painted Hospitality), a cabaret at the Works, and a 1990s-themed cocktail bar in Dunwoody—to name a few.

Sozou and Omakase by Ito are expected to open in Midtown's Spring Quarter development next fall. Led by chef Fuyuhiko Ito, formerly of Umi and MF Buckhead, Sozou will be a modern Japanese restaurant with a robata grill and a sushi counter. An extension of Sozou designed for private dining, Omakase by Ito will offer reservation-only, 15-course, chef-driven meals.